Don't Quit but Persist

Couple of months back I met two young and bright individuals. They had recently joined an organization with dreams of taking control of this world... Full of enthusiasm... Willing to learn new things... Daring to take on challenges... Made me remember the days where I myself had plans of capturing and ruling corporate board rooms (which, to a certain extent, I still have)...

Today, as luck would have it, we met again but with drastically changed emotions. Enthusiasm & willingness got replaced by feeling of dejection, regret and frustration. On inquiring what went so wrong, the explanations began: Everything from the kind of work they got, their boss, to the way they were treated seemed to be a problem. So much so that even the food offered in their cafeteria, cleanliness of their workstations and hundred other (insignificant) reasons were held responsible for this condition.

I heard all their concerns for a good thirty odd minutes but could not help them much as all my effort to make them look towards the positives and appreciate the good things were simply and politely ignored. The only thing that I could see was their unwillingness to face reality that it is not a walk in the park that they are being paid for.

Most saddening was their intention to quit because things were not happening the way they wanted or expected. Truly saddening.

An extract from You Can Win (by Shiv Khera) for all who at some point or the other might face such a situation:

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong,
As they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit Rest if you must,
but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far ;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.


Best,
Achint